Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to my guest writer, Lisa Nolan, editor and publisher of Monkey Star Press! I'm also honored to be a part of her humor anthology, Motherhood May cause Drowsiness: Mom Stories From The Trenches (you can also visit her website HERE). Today she's sharing her five bedtime survival tips for all the sleep-deprived moms out there. Please welcome Lisa with lots of comment love and shares. Thanks!
Where Moths Go To Die: Five Bedtime Survival Tips For Moms
At
night before I go to bed I shut my computer off and grab a book to
read from my pile of library books. Then, my black kitten (who is
almost a cat) slinks in from the yard like a slow-motion shadow,
wide-eyed, with a fluttering moth in his mouth. He brings his
treasure under my bed and bats it around. I try and rescue it by
getting down on my hands and knees on the beige, dog-hair covered
carpet. I am not upset (although my hubby does a freak out). The moth
and my cat are doing what is natural when the moon comes out.
But
am I doing what is natural at the end of my day? I’m not batting a
moth around, but I seriously doubt my nighttime habits are “natural”.
And what does that mean? How do I know what’s normal, what’s true
to human nature in this modern, high tech world? Maybe if I took away
the TV, the computer, and the smart phone after dusk. Then what?
How
about doing some p.m. housework? Should I be washing dishes, by that
I mean loading the dishwasher, or maybe I should be washing them by
hand? OK, how about exercise? Nah. Ain’t gonna happen. Should I be
baking something like bread to serve at breakfast?
What
about writing? Not on my unnatural computer, but what about in my
journal? (Aren’t writers supposed to be doing that anyway? Every
day or night? Consistently?)
What
did my mom do at night before bedtime? And was that true to human
nature? She was a single mom working a full time job so she prepared
for the next day: she set out her color-coordinated clothes and
accessories: a navy pant suit with matching low-heeled shoes, faux
pearl necklace and earrings, and a brown-bag lunch with carrots and
tuna fish. Nature or not she was the bread winner, the only bread
winner, so it was a matter of survival.
Are
we mom supposed to be doing what’s important for our survival?
The
moth, a night-flying insect attracted to light and heat, is trying to
survive under my bed from a cat just going by his instincts (and
having an evening snack). What do we moms need to do at bedtime?
After all, isn’t survival of the fittest?
So
here are my five bedtime survival tips for moms:
1.
Dim the lights so you won’t see the dust on the furniture or your
over-flowing laundry baskets, causing you to go on an all-night
laundry and dusting binge.
2.
Your computer is off limits (and your smart phone) unless you are
chatting on Facebook or reading using your Kindle app. It’s
survival of the brain, too! Let’s not deprive it of social
emotional connections!
3.
Go and check in on your sleeping angels, for tomorrow they will be
awakened little monster-tantrum throwers, or chatter boxes in
cookie-survival mode.
4.
Now it’s time to get ready for the next day. Get out your jogging
shoes because you’ll be chasing your toddler at the park (not
because you are playing a game but because your tot picked up some
trash on the ground, again, and won’t let you have it).
5.
Fill up your water bottle because you are not drinking enough water
(maybe because drinking so much water makes you run to the bathroom
all day long)!
OK,
my dear readers, now it’s your turn! Leave a comment and tell us
your survival tips for moms when the moon is out!
Want
to read more stories by sleep-challenged moms, stories that will make
you laugh, shed a tear or two, inspire you, and make you feel like
you are NOT alone in your sleep-deprived, post-baby world? Be sure to
check out Motherhood
May
Cause Drowsiness: Mom Stories from the Trenches!
“From
start to finish, this book is a gem. I can’t think of a mother who
shouldn’t read it, whether you have a newborn or grown children,
you will totally relate to these funny and heartwarming stories. This
second edition includes 18 new essays from some amazing authors.
Having bought the first Motherhood
May Cause Drowsiness,
I was delighted to read this new edition. One of my favorite quotes
from the book: ‘Organic homemade cakes made out of kale and
promises.’ This book is funny and then funnier.”—Stephanie
Marsh of We
Don’t Chew Glass.
Lisa
Nolan
touts herself as a supermom with a second-hand cape and an empty
glass of wine. She is the editor and publisher at Monkey Star Press
and is working on three parent humor anthologies at the moment. (Lisa
thinks she might be a little bit insane, but in a good way--we hope.)
She’s craft challenged, a lousy housekeeper, a great cook, and a
dedicated locavore. She blogs about Montessori and writes mom lit and
memoir. Lisa is also a book publisher, mom to a DS child, a 3-6 and
6-9 Montessori trained teacher...and she often asks herself the
question “Wait, where am I?” You can find her at Monkey
Star Press,
and Facebook
and Twitter.
Photo
credit: evilpeacock
/ Foter/
CC
BY-NC-SA
